Learning through the arts
Founded in 1983, WAFI’s Cultural Recreation Band brought together middle and high school musicians from Portland Public Schools under Thara Memory, Greg McKelvey, and Ronnye Harrison. Memory later established the American Music Program in 2005; its youth jazz legacy includes Esperanza Spalding, Charlie Brown III, and Domo Branch.
Urban Wings and Aerospace Leadership Club connects aviation, hands-on STEM learning, and character development for Portland middle and high school students, with a special focus on the Tuskegee Airmen.